Lawn care vehicle brake system with improved brake cable actuation

ABSTRACT

A riding lawn care vehicle ( 10 ) includes first and second drive wheels ( 32 ), a steering lever ( 34 ), a brake assembly ( 110 ), and a mechanical brake linkage assembly ( 120 ) including a cable tensioner ( 250 ). The brake assembly ( 110 ) may be operably coupled to at least one of the first and second drive wheels ( 32 ) to enable brakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drive wheels ( 32 ) based on a position of the steering lever ( 34 ). The cable tensioner ( 250 ) may be configured to activate the brake assembly ( 110 ) relative to the at least one of the first and second drive wheels ( 32 ) in response to the steering lever ( 34 ) being moved outwardly to an outboard position. The mechanical linkage assembly ( 120 ) may be configured to provide a greater amount of rotation of the cable tensioner ( 250 ) than a magnitude of rotation of the steering lever ( 34 ) when the steering lever ( 34 ) is moved from the inboard position to the outboard position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. application No. 62/882,203filed Aug. 2, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments generally relate to lawn care vehicles and, moreparticularly, to brake systems (e.g., parking brake systems) for ridinglawn care vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Lawn care tasks are commonly performed using various tools and/ormachines that are configured for the performance of correspondingspecific tasks. Certain tasks, like grass cutting, are typicallyperformed by lawn mowers. Lawn mowers themselves may have many differentconfigurations to support the needs and budgets of consumers.Walk-behind lawn mowers are typically compact, have comparatively smallengines, and are relatively inexpensive. Meanwhile, at the other end ofthe spectrum, riding lawn mowers, such as lawn tractors, can be quitelarge. Riding lawn mowers can sometimes also be configured with variousfunctional accessories (e.g., trailers, tillers, and/or the like) inaddition to grass cutting components. Riding lawn mowers provide theconvenience of a riding vehicle as well as a typically larger cuttingdeck as compared to a walk-behind model.

By their very nature, riding lawn mowers include steering assembliesthat are used to direct the movement of the riding lawn mowers. Thesteering assemblies often take the familiar form of a steering wheel.However, handlebar assemblies have also been used in some cases. Morerecently, some mowers have been provided with very short (e.g., nearzero) turning radiuses. Such mowers have employed separate steeringlevers that interface with the drive wheels on each respective side ofthe mower.

A feature of some of the models that have a short turning radius andsteering levers is that the steering levers move forward and rearward tocontrol the drive wheels while the steering levers are in a normal(inboard) position. Meanwhile, the steering levers can be pivotedoutwardly to an outboard position in order to apply a parking brake andenable the operator to depart from the vehicle. The pivoting action tothe outboard position is often converted into a braking function bycoupling the movement of the top part of the steering lever to the brakeassembly via a cable. However, the sizes and tolerances of thecomponents involved in the pivoting action generally limit the amount of“throw” that is achievable. Moreover, additional components (e.g.,springs or other biasing members) may be required in order to keep thetop part of the steering lever stable in each position (i.e., inboard oroutboard). Thus, it may be desirable to provide an improved pivotingstructure or other brake system components, which may give superiorperformance with a simpler and cheaper structural architecture.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

Some example embodiments of the present invention provide steeringlevers on a riding lawn care vehicle that are movable to an outboardposition to activate a brake assembly. However, example embodimentseffectively provide a structure for angular input amplification so thata small input angle due to rotation of the steering levers is translatedinto a larger angular output. Moreover, example embodiments can keep thesteering levers in the outboard position without adding a dedicatedspring for such purpose. Various other advantages can be achieved basedon this angular amplification, as described in greater detail herein.

In one example embodiment, a riding lawn care vehicle is provided. Theriding lawn care vehicle may include a frame to which at least a firstdrive wheel and a second drive wheel of the riding lawn care vehicle areattachable, a steering assembly, a brake assembly and a mechanical brakelinkage assembly. The steering assembly may include a steering lever.The steering lever may be one of a pair of steering levers. Each of thesteering levers may be operably coupled to the first and second drivewheels respectively to facilitate turning of the riding lawn carevehicle based on drive speed control of the first and second drivewheels responsive to positioning of the steering levers. The brakeassembly may be operably coupled to the first and second drive wheels toenable brakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drivewheels. The mechanical brake linkage assembly may be operably coupledbetween the steering lever and the brake assembly via a cable assembly.The steering lever may be operably coupled to provide drive speedcontrol inputs to a corresponding one of the first or second drivewheels via a carrier configured to pivot in a forward or rearwarddirection when the steering lever is in an inboard position. Thesteering lever may be operably coupled to an arm that is operablycoupled to the carrier to pivot the steering lever in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the forward or the rearward directionwhen the steering lever is moved to an outboard position. The mechanicalbrake linkage assembly may include a cable tensioner configured toactivate the brake assembly relative to the corresponding one of thefirst or second drive wheels in response to the steering lever beingmoved outwardly to the outboard position. The mechanical linkageassembly may be configured to provide a greater amount of rotation ofthe cable tensioner than a magnitude of rotation of the steering leverwhen the steering lever is moved from the inboard position to theoutboard position.

In another example embodiment, a mechanical brake linkage assembly of ariding lawn care vehicle is provided. The riding lawn care vehicle mayinclude first and second drive wheels, a steering lever, and a brakeassembly. The brake assembly may be operably coupled to at least one ofthe first and second drive wheels to enable brakes to be selectivelyapplied to the first and second drive wheels based on a position of thesteering lever. The mechanical brake linkage assembly may include acable tensioner that may be configured to activate the brake assemblyrelative to the at least one of the first and second drive wheels inresponse to the steering lever being moved outwardly to an outboardposition. The mechanical linkage assembly may be configured to provide agreater amount of rotation of the cable tensioner than a magnitude ofrotation of the steering lever when the steering lever is moved from theinboard position to the outboard position.

Some example embodiments may improve an operator's ability to apply thebrakes of a lawn care vehicle for starting, dismounting, and/ortransporting the vehicle. The user experience associated with operatingand transporting the riding lawn care vehicle may therefore be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described some embodiments of the present invention ingeneral terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings,which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a riding lawn care vehicleaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 1B illustrates a top view of the riding lawn care vehicle accordingto an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a steering assembly withsteering levers positioned to be pulled back for rearward propulsionaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of some steering and brakingcomponents according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates an isolation view from the side to show some isolatedcomponents of a steering assembly along with a mechanical brake linkageassembly showing the interaction therebetween in accordance with anexample embodiment; and

FIG. 5 shows the same isolation view of FIG. 4 after one steering leveris pivoted to an outboard position in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not allexample embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described andpictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to thescope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure.Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosurewill satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numeralsrefer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term“or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in truewhenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, thephrase “operable coupling” and variants thereof should be understood torelate to direct or indirect connection that, in either case, enablesfunctional interconnection of components that are operably coupled toeach other.

Some example embodiments may improve the ability of an operator toapply, engage, actuate, and/or otherwise activate brakes of lawn carevehicles such as, for example, riding lawn mowers. In this regard, someexample embodiments may provide a steering assembly and mechanical brakelinkage for use on a lawn care vehicle to apply brakes to the drivewheels by moving a steering lever outboard using a more efficient andeffective structural assembly. The brakes may therefore be easilyapplied to facilitate dismounting, transporting, and/or starting of thevehicle while applying, for example, the parking brake. Exampleembodiments may provide a physical link between the steering levers andthe parking brake, but furthermore may provide such physical link in amanner that allows a small input angle to drive a larger output angle.Movement of the levers may therefore create a locking sensation for thepositioning of the levers in each of the inboard and outboard positions,but can do so without using an additional and dedicated spring. Thus, asimpler, cheaper, and yet still very effective design may be provided.

FIG. 1, which includes FIGS. 1A and 1B, illustrates a riding lawn carevehicle 10 according to an example embodiment. FIG. 1A illustrates aperspective view of the riding lawn care vehicle 10, and FIG. 1Billustrates a top view of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 according toan example embodiment. In some embodiments, the riding lawn care vehicle10 may include a seat 20 that may be disposed at a center, rear, orfront portion of the riding lawn care vehicle 10. The riding lawn carevehicle 10 may also include a steering assembly 30 (e.g., a set ofsteering levers or the like) functionally connected to wheels 31 and/or32 of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 to allow the operator to steer theriding lawn care vehicle 10. The operator may sit on the seat 20, whichmay be disposed to the rear of the steering assembly 30 to provide inputfor steering of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 via the steeringassembly 30. However, some models may be stand-up models that eliminatethe seat 20. If the seat 20 is eliminated, the operator may stand at anoperator station proximate to the steering assembly 30.

In an example embodiment, the steering assembly 30 may includeseparately operable steering levers 34. The riding lawn care vehicle 10may also include a cutting deck 40 having at least one cutting blade(e.g., three cutting blades) mounted therein. The cutting deck 40 may bepositioned substantially rearward of a pair of front wheels 31 andsubstantially forward of a pair of rear wheels 32 in a position toenable the operator to cut grass using the cutting blade(s) when thecutting blade(s) are rotated below the cutting deck 40 when the cuttingdeck 40 is in a cutting position. However, in some alternative examples,the cutting deck 40 may be positioned in front of the front wheels 31.In some embodiments, a footrest 42 may also be positioned above thecutting deck 40 forward of the seat 20 to enable the operator to resthis or her feet thereon while seated in the seat 20. In embodiments thatdo not include the seat 20, the footrest 42 may form the operatorstation from which a standing operator controls the riding lawn carevehicle 10. When operating to cut grass, the grass clippings may becaptured by a collection system, mulched, or expelled from the cuttingdeck 40 via either a side discharge or a rear discharge.

In the pictured example embodiment, an engine 50 of the riding lawn carevehicle 10 is disposed to the rear of a seated operator. However, inother example embodiments, the engine 50 could be in different positionssuch as in front of or below the operator. As shown in FIG. 1, theengine 50 may be operably coupled to one or more of the wheels 31 and/or32 to provide drive power for the riding lawn care vehicle 10. Theengine 50, the steering assembly 30, the cutting deck 40, the seat 20,and other components of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 may be operablyconnected (directly or indirectly) to a frame 60 of the riding lawn carevehicle 10. The frame 60 may be a rigid structure configured to providesupport, connectivity, and/or interoperability functions for variousones of the components of the riding lawn care vehicle 10.

In some example embodiments, the steering assembly 30 may be embodied asan assembly of metallic and/or other rigid components that may bewelded, bolted, and/or otherwise attached to each other and operablycoupled to the wheels of the riding lawn care vehicle 10 to whichsteering inputs are provided (e.g., rear wheels 32). For example, thesteering assembly 30 may include or otherwise be coupled with hydraulicmotors that independently power one or more drive wheels (e.g., rearwheels 32) on each respective side of the riding lawn care vehicle 10.When a steering lever 34 is pushed forward (e.g., away from theoperator), the corresponding hydraulic motor may drive the correspondingwheel forward. When a steering lever 34 is pulled rearward (e.g., towardthe operator as shown by the directional arrows in FIG. 2), thecorresponding hydraulic motor may drive the corresponding wheelbackward. Thus, when both steering levers 34 are pushed forward the sameamount, the riding lawn care vehicle 10 travels forward in substantiallya straight line because approximately the same amount of forward driveinput is provided to each drive wheel. When both steering levers 34 arepulled back the same amount, the riding lawn care vehicle 10 travelsbackward (e.g., rearward) in substantially a straight line becauseapproximately the same amount of rearward drive input is provided toeach drive wheel. When one steering lever 34 is pushed forward and theother steering lever 34 is pulled back, the riding lawn care vehicle 10begins to turn in a circle and/or spin. Steering right and left may beaccomplished by providing uneven amounts of input to the steering levers34. Other steering control systems may be employed in some alternativeembodiments.

Although the steering levers 34 are generally moved forward (i.e.,opposite the direction of the arrows 72 shown in FIG. 2) or backward(i.e., in the direction of the arrows 72 shown in FIG. 2) in anydesirable combination while they are in the operating positions shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, it should be appreciated that the steering levers 34 mayalso be moved to an outboard position (e.g., in a non-operational state)by moving the steering levers 34 outwardly in the direction shown byarrows 70 in FIG. 1B. In this regard, each of the steering levers 34 maybe operably coupled to respective lever mounts 80 that may pivot toenable the steering levers 34 to move outwardly (e.g., to the outboardposition) or inwardly (e.g., to an inboard and/or operating position).In some embodiments, when at least one of the steering levers 34 ispivoted outwardly, the operator may easily mount or dismount the ridinglawn care vehicle 10 and sit in or leave the seat 20.

In many conventional riding lawn care vehicles, a brake lever separateand distinct from the steering assembly is provided to interface withthe brake assembly of the vehicle. In contrast, example embodiments ofthe present invention may provide for the setting of the brake assemblyvia one or more of the steering levers 34 of the steering assembly 30.For example, in some embodiments, the moving of only one of the steeringlevers 34 to the outboard position causes the brakes for all of thedrive wheels (e.g., the rear wheels 32) to activate. Thus, rather thanhaving to operate a separate brake lever to activate the brakes, orrather than having to activate separate brakes for each of the drivewheels, example embodiments may activate the entire brake assembly(e.g., the brakes for both drive wheels) when either of the steeringlevers 34 is moved outboard, independent of the position of the otherone of the steering levers 34.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of some steering and brakingcomponents of an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, each one of thesteering levers 34 may be operably coupled to a corresponding one of thelever mounts 80. The lever mounts 80 may be operably coupled tocorresponding hydraulic motors 100 that power respective ones of thedrive wheels (e.g., the rear wheels 32). A brake system including abrake assembly 110 is also provided. However, as mentioned above, unlikea traditional system in which the brake assembly 110 is activated via aseparate brake lever, the brake assembly 110 of an example embodimentactivates brakes on both rear wheels 32 based on moving a position ofthe lever mount 80 and corresponding steering lever 34 of just one side(independent of the other) to the outboard position. Thus, while movingthe lever mount 80 and corresponding steering lever 34 of either side inforward and reverse directions correspondingly operates the hydraulicmotor 100 and drive wheel of the respective side, the movement of eitherlever mount 80 and corresponding steering lever 34 to the outboardposition (e.g., moving the steering lever 34 outwardly and/or laterallyaway from the longitudinal centerline A of the riding lawn care vehicle10) will engage and/or otherwise activate the brake assembly 110.

As shown in FIG. 3, a mechanical brake linkage assembly 120 is providedto operably couple both lever mounts 80 to the brake assembly 110. Invarious different embodiments, the inboard/outboard movements of thesteering levers 34 (via the lever mounts 80) may either individually orcollectively be accomplished to apply brakes to one or both of the rearwheels 32. For example, in some cases, if one lever mount 80 is pivotedto the outboard position, the mechanical brake linkage assembly 120operates to activate the brake assembly 110 so that brakes are appliedto a corresponding one of the rear wheels 32. Alternatively, movement ofboth lever mounts 80 may be required to apply brakes to one or bothwheels. As yet another alternative, the inboard/outboard movement ofjust one of the steering levers 34 (via the lever mounts 80) may beaccomplished to apply brakes at each of the rear wheels 32. In someembodiments, the brake assembly 110 may include a gear capable oflocking the transaxle of each respective rear wheel 32, and acorresponding ratchet pawl may be engaged with the gear by themechanical brake linkage assembly 120. If either one of the lever mounts80 is moved to the outboard position, even if the other one of the levermounts 80 remains in the inboard position, both rear wheels 32 will belocked via operation of the mechanical brake linkage assembly 120 toactivate the brake assembly 110 by causing both gears to be engaged withtheir respective ratchet pawls.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate more detailed views of some portions of themechanical brake linkage assembly 120 to illustrate an exampleembodiment. In this regard, FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of someisolated components of the steering assembly 30 along with themechanical brake linkage assembly 120 to show the interactiontherebetween in accordance with an example embodiment. Moreparticularly, FIG. 4 shows the mechanical brake linkage assembly 120 inan off position (i.e., brake “off”) that corresponds to a respective oneof the steering levers 34 being pivoted inboard. FIG. 5 shows themechanical brake linkage assembly 120 in an on position (i.e., brake“on”) that corresponds to the steering lever 34 being pivoted in thedirection of arrow 70 in FIG. 1B to the outboard position. Of note,FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate only one steering lever 34, but it should beappreciated that the other steering lever 34 is structured similarly andfunctions the same way when moved from the inboard (e.g., operational)position to the outboard (non-operational or brake “on” position).

The steering lever 34 of FIGS. 4 and 5 is attached to an arm 200 that isoperably coupled to a carrier 210. The carrier 210 may be operablycoupled at a proximal end 212 thereof to a portion of the frame 60 toenable the carrier 210 for pivot about a pivot point 214 forward(opposite arrow 72 in FIG. 2) and rearward (in the direction of arrow 72in FIG. 2). The carrier 210 may also be operably coupled to thehydraulic motor 100 so that movement in the forward and rearwarddirections (i.e., into and out of the page) causes forward and rearwarddriving of the rear wheels 32 as described above. However, that operablecoupling is outside the scope of this disclosure. Meanwhile, the arm 200attaches to the carrier 210 at a distal end 216 of the carrier 210.

In particular, the arm 200 may have a pivotal coupling 220 to the distalend 216 of the carrier 210. In this regard, the arm 200 may include apivot plate 222 that lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to aplane through which the carrier 210 pivots responsive to forward andrearward movement of the steering levers 34. In some cases, anotherpivot plate may mirror the pivot plate 222 on the rear side of thecarrier 210 such that the arm 200 includes two pivot plates that extendon opposing sides of the carrier 210. The pivot plate 222 may have adistal end 224 (relative to the proximal end thereof, which is operablycoupled to the steering lever 34), and the pivotal coupling 220 may beformed at the distal end 224 of the pivot plate 222 to join the distalend 224 of the pivot plate 222 to the distal end 216 of the carrier 210.When the steering lever 34 is in the inboard position, the carrier 210may extend upwardly, and the steering lever 34 (at least the portionthereof that attaches to the arm 200) may extend upwardly substantiallyparallel to the direction of extension of the carrier 210. However, whenthe steering lever 34 is moved to the outboard position, the directionof extension of the steering lever 34 (at least the portion thereof thatattaches to the arm 200) may no longer be substantially parallel to thedirection of extension of the carrier 210.

Arrow 230 in FIG. 4 illustrates the direction the arm 200 pivotsrelative to the carrier 210 when the steering lever 34 is pushed to theoutboard position. Meanwhile, arrow 232 in FIG. 5 illustrates thedirection the arm 200 pivots relative to the carrier when the steeringlever 34 is moved to the inboard position. The amount of angularmovement formed by the movement of steering lever 34 to the outboardposition is shown by angle 234 in FIG. 5. The vertical axis 236 fromwhich the angle 234 is measured may also be considered to be top deadcenter or a center position that is a reference position for measuringamplification of the angle 234 as described in greater detail below.

As can be appreciated from FIGS. 4 and 5, the pivoting of the mechanicalbrake linkage assembly 120 may ultimately be operable (i.e., apply abrake to at least one of the rear wheels 32) by operation of a cableassembly 240. In this regard, the cable assembly 240 may be operablycoupled to the brake assembly 110 to apply a braking force from thebrake assembly 110 to either or both of the rear wheels 32. The cableassembly 240 includes a sheath 242 inside which cable 244 passes fromone end of the cable assembly 240 to the other. The cable assembly 240may generally be constructed so that the cable 240 is under tension andtends to (is biased to) be withdrawn into the sheath 242 and toward thebrake assembly 110.

The cable assembly 240 may also include an anchor assembly 246 thatpivotally couples the cable assembly 240 to a fixed point on the carrier210. In this regard, for example, the anchor assembly 246 may have afixed connection to the sheath 242, but a pivotal connection to thecarrier 210. The cable 244 may therefore be enabled to move within thesheath 242 and rotate the anchor assembly 240 as the tension applied tothe cable 244 is changed responsive to pivoting the steering lever 34 tothe outboard position as described in greater detail below.

In an example embodiment, the mechanical brake linkage assembly 120 mayfurther include a cable tensioner 250 and a link member 252 thatoperably couple the cable 244 to the arm 200 so that pivoting of the arm200 to the outboard position applies additional tension to the cable 244to apply brake forces to the rear wheels 32 via the brake assembly 110.In this regard, the link member 252 may extend between the arm 200 andthe cable tensioner 250. More particularly, the link member 252 may bepivotally coupled to a portion of the pivot plate 222 that is offsetfrom and spaced apart from the pivotal coupling 220 and the distal end224 of the pivot plate 222 on a first end of the link member 252 and maybe pivotally coupled to a portion of the cable tensioner 250 at a secondend of the link member 252. The link member 252 may be an elongatedpiece of rigid material that imparts a force on the cable tensioner 250to rotate the cable tensioner 250 when the steering lever 34 is rotatedto the outboard position thereby moving the arm 200 in the direction ofarrow 230, and exert a force to rotate the cable tensioner 250 in anopposing direction (i.e., in the direction of arrow 232) when thesteering lever 34 is rotated to the inboard position.

In an example embodiment, the cable tensioner 250 may be embodied as abellcrank having a pivot point 260 at which point the cable tensioner250 is rotatably mounted to a portion of the carrier 210. The cabletensioner 250 may further include a first arm 262 that extends from thepivot point 260 to a cable attachment point 264 at a distal end of thefirst arm 262. The cable tensioner 250 may also include a second arm 266that extends from the pivot point 260 to a link attachment point 268 ata distal end of the second arm 266. The cable tensioner 250 may beoperably coupled to the cable 244 at the cable attachment point 264 andoperably coupled to the link member 252 at the link attachment point268.

In an example embodiment, the cable tensioner 250 may be formed as abellcrank that (e.g., from sheet metal, steel or some other rigidmaterial) has the first and second arms 262 and 266 formed with an anglebetween them that is larger than 90 degrees. Moreover, a length of thefirst arm 262 may be longer than a length of the second arm 266. Theangle formed between the first and second arms 262 and 266 may bebetween about 110 degrees and about 150 degrees, and the second arm 266may be between about 0.33 and 0.66 times as long as the first arm 262.Making the second arm 266 shorter than the first arm 262, and anglingthe first and second arms 262 and 266 relative to each other in themanner provided creates a mechanical advantage in terms of amplifyingthe rotation achievable by the cable tensioner 250 relative to theamount of rotation of the steering lever 34. For example, although thesteering lever 34 may rotate substantially less than 90 degrees (e.g.,from 20 degrees to 60 degrees), the cable tensioner 250 may rotate morethan 90 degrees (e.g., from 90 degrees to 150 degrees). This causes amuch longer amount of travel distance for the cable 244 to be achievedin a much smaller space (and with smaller parts used to achieve thetravel distance).

As noted above, the cable system 240 may be arranged to keep the cable244 under tension. Moreover, the cable 244 may be under tension when thesteering lever 34 is in either the inboard position or the outboardposition. As such, given that the cable attachment point 264 can be seento pass over center (e.g., through a breakover point) when moving fromthe position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5, it shouldbe appreciated that the tension on the cable 244 causes the cabletensioner 250 to be held (by the biasing of the cable 244) in therespective rest positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for the brake “off” andbrake “on” positions, respectively. As such, movement out of each ofthese rest positions may generally be resisted so that the inboard andoutboard positions are each experienced as natural rest positions towhich the steering levers 34 seem to be biased by the operator. Onceover center moving in either direction, the cable system 240 will biasthe cable tensioner 250 (and therefore the steering lever 34 itself) toa corresponding rest position in the inboard and outboard positions. Thebrake system 110 will therefore feel “locked” when the handles are movedto the outboard position since the cable system 240 provides a degree oftension that must be overcome to move the steering lever 34 back to theinboard position.

Accordingly, some example embodiments may enable movement of thesteering levers to control the application of a parking brake or otherbrake assembly of the drive wheels of a mower such as a zero turn mowerin a manner that enables the steering levers to feel locked in theoutboard and inboard positions, but also using a structure that allowsfor greater cable displacement with a limited permissible input angle.Example embodiments effectively provide angular displacementamplification with a relatively compact yet robust design.

In an example embodiment, a riding lawn care vehicle may therefore beprovided. The riding lawn care vehicle may include a frame to which atleast a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel of the riding lawncare vehicle are attachable, a steering assembly, a brake assembly and amechanical brake linkage assembly. The steering assembly may include asteering lever. The steering lever may be one of a pair of steeringlevers. Each of the steering levers may be operably coupled to the firstand second drive wheels respectively to facilitate turning of the ridinglawn care vehicle based on drive speed control of the first and seconddrive wheels responsive to positioning of the steering levers. The brakeassembly may be operably coupled to the first and second drive wheels toenable brakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drivewheels. The mechanical brake linkage assembly may be operably coupledbetween the steering lever and the brake assembly via a cable assembly.The steering lever may be operably coupled to provide drive speedcontrol inputs to a corresponding one of the first or second drivewheels via a carrier configured to pivot in a forward or rearwarddirection when the steering lever is in an inboard position. Thesteering lever may be operably coupled to an arm that is operablycoupled to the carrier to pivot the steering lever in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the forward or the rearward directionwhen the steering lever is moved to an outboard position. The mechanicalbrake linkage assembly may include a cable tensioner configured toactivate the brake assembly relative to the corresponding one of thefirst or second drive wheels in response to the steering lever beingmoved outwardly to the outboard position. The mechanical linkageassembly may be configured to provide a greater amount of rotation ofthe cable tensioner than a magnitude of rotation of the steering leverwhen the steering lever is moved from the inboard position to theoutboard position.

The riding lawn care vehicle (or mechanical brake linkage assembly) ofsome embodiments may include additional features that may be optionallyadded either alone or in combination with each other. The featureslisted below should therefore be understood to have potential forcumulative addition, or may be added in isolation. When addedcumulatively, any combination of the below listed features could beformed. For example, in some embodiments, the cable tensioner mayinclude a first arm and a second arm. Each of the first and second armsmay extend away from a pivot point at which the cable tensioner isrotatably mounted to the carrier in respective different directions. Anangle between the first and second arms may be greater than 90 degrees,or less than 90 degrees in some alternative designs. In some cases, thecable tensioner may include a bellcrank having the first arm longer thanthe second arm. In an example embodiment, a length of the second arm maybe between about 0.33 and 0.66 times a length of the first arm, and theangle between the first and second arms may be between about 110 degreesand about 150 degrees. In some cases, a distal end of the first arm maybe operably coupled to the cable assembly, and a distal end of thesecond arm may be operably coupled to a link member that extends betweenthe arm and the cable tensioner. In such a case, responsive to movementof the steering lever to the outboard position, the arm may pivotrelative to the carrier such that less than 90 degree rotation of thesteering lever causes more than 90 degrees of rotation of the cabletensioner. In an example embodiment, the steering lever may rotatebetween about 20 degrees and 60 degrees, and the cable tensioner mayrotate between about 90 degrees and 150 degrees. In some cases, the armmay include a pivot plate having a distal end pivotally coupled to adistal end of the carrier. The link member may be operably coupled tothe pivot plate at a portion of the pivot plate that is spaced apartfrom the distal end of the pivot plate. Rotation of the arm to theoutboard position may cause a force to be exerted on the cable tensionerto rotate the cable tensioner and may cause less linear movement of adistal end of the second arm of the cable tensioner than an amount oflinear movement at a distal end of the first arm. In an exampleembodiment, the cable assembly may include a sheath inside which a cablepasses from the brake assembly to the first arm. The cable may be undertension biased toward the brake assembly. Moreover, in an exampleembodiment, the cable tensioner rotates through a breakover pointresponsive to moving the steering lever between the inboard position andthe outboard position such that the steering lever is biased to beretained in each of the inboard position and the outboard position. Insome cases, the cable assembly may further include an anchor assemblyconfigured to have a fixed connection to the sheath and a pivotalconnection to the carrier. In an example embodiment, the anchor assemblymay be configured to pivot as the second arm carries the cableresponsive to movement of the steering lever to the outboard position.In an example embodiment, the riding lawn care vehicle is a zero turnmower.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certainexemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should beappreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions maybe provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scopeof the appended claims. In this regard, for example, differentcombinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitlydescribed above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of theappended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits, or solutions toproblems are described herein, it should be appreciated that suchadvantages, benefits, and/or solutions may be applicable to some exampleembodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, anyadvantages, benefits, or solutions described herein should not bethought of as being critical, required, or essential to all embodimentsor to that which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed:
 1. A riding lawn care vehicle comprising: a frameto which at least a first drive wheel and a second drive wheel of theriding lawn care vehicle are attachable; a steering assembly comprisinga steering lever, the steering lever being one of a pair of steeringlevers, wherein each of the steering levers is operably coupled to thefirst and second drive wheels respectively to facilitate turning of theriding lawn care vehicle based on drive speed control of the first andsecond drive wheels responsive to positioning of the steering levers; abrake assembly operably coupled to the first and second drive wheels toenable brakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drivewheels; and a mechanical brake linkage assembly operably coupled betweenthe steering lever and the brake assembly via a cable assembly, whereinthe steering lever is operably coupled to provide drive speed controlinputs to a corresponding one of the first or second drive wheels via acarrier configured to pivot in a forward or rearward direction when thesteering lever is in an inboard position, wherein the steering lever isoperably coupled to an arm that is operably coupled to the carrier topivot the steering lever in a direction substantially perpendicular tothe forward or the rearward direction when the steering lever is movedto an outboard position, wherein the mechanical brake linkage assemblycomprises a cable tensioner configured to activate the brake assemblyrelative to the corresponding one of the first or second drive wheels inresponse to the steering lever being moved outwardly to the outboardposition, wherein the mechanical linkage assembly is configured toprovide a greater amount of rotation of the cable tensioner than amagnitude of rotation of the steering lever when the steering lever ismoved from the inboard position to the outboard position, and whereinthe cable tensioner rotates through a breakover point responsive tomoving the steering lever between the inboard position such that thesteering lever is biased to be retained in each of the inboard positionand the outboard position.
 2. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 1,wherein the cable tensioner comprises a first arm and a second arm,wherein each of the first and second arms extends away from a pivotpoint at which the cable tensioner is rotatably mounted to the carrierin respective different directions.
 3. The riding lawn care vehicle ofclaim 2, wherein the cable tensioner comprises a bellcrank having thefirst arm longer than the second arm.
 4. The riding lawn care vehicle ofclaim 3, wherein a length of the second arm is between about 0.33 and0.66 times a length of the first arm, and wherein the angle between thefirst and second arms is between about 110 degrees and about 150degrees.
 5. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 4, wherein a distalend of the first arm is operably coupled to the cable assembly, and adistal end of the second arm is operably coupled to a link member thatextends between the arm and the cable tensioner, and wherein responsiveto movement of the steering lever to the outboard position, the armpivots relative to the carrier such that less than 90 degree rotation ofthe steering lever causes more than 90 degrees of rotation of the cabletensioner.
 6. The riding lawn care vehicle of claim 5, wherein thesteering lever rotates between about 20 degrees and 60 degrees, and thecable tensioner rotates between about 90 degrees and 150 degrees.
 7. Theriding lawn care vehicle of claim 5, wherein the arm comprises a pivotplate having a distal end pivotally coupled to a distal end of thecarrier, wherein the link member is operably coupled to the pivot plateat a portion of the pivot plate that is spaced apart from the distal endof the pivot plate, and wherein rotation of the arm to the outboardposition causes a force to be exerted on the cable tensioner to rotatethe cable tensioner and causes less linear movement of a distal end ofthe second arm of the cable tensioner than an amount of linear movementat a distal end of the first arm.
 8. The riding lawn care vehicle ofclaim 2, wherein the cable assembly comprises a sheath inside which acable passes from the brake assembly to the first arm, and wherein thecable is under tension biased toward the brake assembly.
 9. The ridinglawn care vehicle of claim 8, wherein the cable assembly furthercomprises an anchor assembly configured to have a fixed connection tothe sheath and a pivotal connection to the carrier.
 10. The riding lawncare vehicle of claim 9, wherein the anchor assembly is configured topivot as the second arm carries the cable responsive to movement of thesteering lever to the outboard position.
 11. A mechanical brake linkageassembly of a riding lawn care vehicle, wherein the riding lawn carevehicle further comprises first and second drive wheels, a steeringlever, and a brake assembly, wherein the brake assembly is operablycoupled to at least one of the first and second drive wheels to enablebrakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drive wheelsbased on a position of the steering lever, wherein the mechanical brakelinkage assembly comprises a cable tensioner configured to activate thebrake assembly relative to the at least one of the first and seconddrive wheels in response to the steering lever being moved outwardly toan outboard position, wherein the mechanical linkage assembly isconfigured to provide a greater amount of rotation of the cabletensioner than a magnitude of rotation of the steering lever when thesteering lever is moved from the inboard position to the outboardposition, and wherein the cable tensioner rotates through a breakoverpoint responsive to moving the steering lever between the inboardposition and the outboard position such that the steering lever isbiased to be retained in each of the inboard position and the outboardposition.
 12. The mechanical brake linkage assembly of claim 11, whereinthe cable tensioner comprises a first arm and a second arm, and whereineach of the first and second arms extends away from a pivot point atwhich the cable tensioner is rotatably mounted to the carrier inrespective different directions.
 13. The mechanical brake linkageassembly of claim 12, wherein the cable tensioner comprises a bellcrankhaving the first arm longer than the second arm.
 14. The mechanicalbrake linkage assembly of claim 13, wherein a length of the second armis between about 0.33 and 0.66 times a length of the first arm, andwherein the angle between the first and second arms is between about 110degrees and about 150 degrees.
 15. The mechanical brake linkage assemblyof claim 14, wherein a distal end of the first arm is operably coupledto the cable assembly, and a distal end of the second arm is operablycoupled to a link member that extends between the arm and the cabletensioner, and wherein responsive to movement of the steering lever tothe outboard position, the arm pivots relative to the carrier such thatless than 90 degree rotation of the steering lever causes more than 90degrees of rotation of the cable tensioner.
 16. The mechanical brakelinkage assembly of claim 15, wherein the steering lever rotates betweenabout 20 degrees and 60 degrees, and the cable tensioner rotates betweenabout 90 degrees and 150 degrees.
 17. The mechanical brake linkageassembly of claim 15, wherein the arm comprises a pivot plate having adistal end pivotally coupled to a distal end of the carrier, wherein thelink member is operably coupled to the pivot plate at a portion of thepivot plate that is spaced apart from the distal end of the pivot plate,and wherein rotation of the arm to the outboard position causes a forceto be exerted on the cable tensioner to rotate the cable tensioner andcauses less linear movement of a distal end of the second arm of thecable tensioner than an amount of linear movement at a distal end of thefirst arm.
 18. The mechanical brake linkage assembly of claim 12,wherein the cable assembly comprises a sheath inside which a cablepasses from the brake assembly to the first arm, and wherein the cableis under tension biased toward the brake assembly.
 19. The mechanicalbrake linkage assembly of claim 18, wherein the cable assembly furthercomprises an anchor assembly configured to have a fixed connection tothe sheath and a pivotal connection to the carrier, and wherein theanchor assembly is configured to pivot as the second arm carries thecable responsive to movement of the steering lever to the outboardposition.